


To Meet With Destiny

by TMar



Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: Fate & Destiny, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 19:37:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17065835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMar/pseuds/TMar
Summary: Beth Calavicci is visiting her husband Al on a project and meets Doctor Sam Beckett.





	To Meet With Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in June 1993 after watching the finale, "Mirror Image". People had been pondering whether Sam, having changed Al's history, would ever have met Al. I contend he would have. He had to.

TO MEET WITH DESTINY

Beth Calavicci had been dragged all over the Starbright Project by her  
husband, and was beginning to get a little tired. "Al, I don't see why you  
want me here. I'm quite happy where I am."

"Hon -- " Al stopped for a minute, and let his wife's arm go. "I'll see  
you more often. You and the kids will see me more often. That's why. And they  
do need more medical personnel on this project."

His wife stopped, considered. "I know, but - "

Al smiled. "You don't want people to think you got the job because you're  
the captain's wife."

This got a smile. "Something like that."

"Who cares?" said Al. He'd never been widely known for his love of people  
who gossiped, or of the top brass, even though he seemed on his way to  
becoming one of them. "Let's get the tour over."

The two of them passed through more corridors, until they came to a  
junction where people often stopped for coffee. It had a few chairs, a table,  
and a vending machine. Albert Calavicci, once known as 'Bingo', stopped.  
"Wait, I think I need some coffee."

Beth merely looked exasperated. "Al, you had a cup ten minutes ago in the  
dining room."

"I know... I just... I have to stop and have some." Al wasn't the kind  
of person who got compulsions, but suddenly, here was one. And of course it  
ate his dime. Al looked at his wife as if to say, 'You see what I have to deal  
with?' and Beth couldn't help smothering a smile. "You," her husband merely  
said, and whacked the machine alongside, hoping something would happen.  
Nothing did, of course.

Then a light, pleasant voice came, as if from nowhere, "That machine only  
works for those of us who know how to talk to it."

Al and Beth turned towards the voice, and Beth let out a gasp of complete  
amazement. "Beth? Honey?"

Dr Sam Beckett was walking towards them. "You must be Captain Calavicci."

"Yeah," replied Al. "And this is my wife, Beth."

"I'm Sam Beckett," replied Sam, putting out his hand, trying to ignore  
Al's wife staring at him as though he'd just beamed down from orbit. 

Al shook the hand, liking this man immediately. He'd read all the  
magazines and knew what kind of a genius this Dr Beckett was supposed to be,  
but here was someone very ordinary, shy, almost, introducing himself when he  
knew that anyone who read Time magazine would immediately recognise him.   
"Are you on this project, Doctor Beckett?"

"Sam."

"Al. So?"

"Just advising at the moment." Sam turned to Beth, who was still staring.  
"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, I... excuse me." Beth rushed off into the ladies' room,  
leaving Sam and Al to look at each other and shrug. 

"Women," said Al. Sam smiled.

***

Beth was not smiling. At last, here was the answer to a question that had  
bothered her for fifteen years: who had it been that night, long ago, who had  
seemingly appeared out of nowhere and told her that Al wasn't dead? He had  
given her hope, enough hope for her to wait for Al to come home. 

And the strength of his belief had become hers. She'd waited, waited until that day in 1973 when Al had stepped off the plane. She hadn't told him about the mysterious stranger. Sometimes she thought she'd convinced herself it had been a dream, simply because she just couldn't let go. Oh, Dirk had tried to help, but nothing he'd been able to say had changed her mind. 

And then, when the papers had printed the Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, Al's face had jumped out at her from the newspaper. Al, alive! A prisoner of war, but alive. She'd been able to go on, but she'd never seen the mysterious stranger again. Until today.

It wasn't the same man she'd seen, though. That man had been older,  
wiser. He'd had one white lock of hair in the front. He'd been world-weary but  
optimistic. And he'd had FAITH. Of this Beth had been sure. The Sam Beckett  
who stood out there in the hall with Al was younger and more naive. But it was  
him! That man had changed her life, had given her hope. He'd said he was Al's  
friend, and she'd known how much he obviously loved Al. A little word inside  
Beth Calavicci whispered, 'Destiny', and Beth went out to make sure it came  
true.

***

Sam was excitedly telling Al about his pet theory, one he hoped to prove  
someday. "Ah, it sounds too much like a science fiction story," her husband  
was saying when Beth joined them.

"No, really," Sam replied. "It all hinges on the String Theory. I'm  
trying to get funding, but it's not gonna be easy. The government isn't sure  
what practical use it could be."

"What?" Beth asked, sitting down. Sam noticed that she didn't stare  
anymore.

"His time machine," replied Al.

"Tell the government you could observe history. Find out if Kennedy  
really was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald."

Both Sam and Al stared at Beth in surprise. "You believe me?" said Sam.

"Not only do I believe you, Doctor Beckett," Beth said, with HER faith  
this time, "I predict it will be an astounding success."

"Well, I predict that you will make a fine addition to the team," Sam  
replied.

"The team?"

"I need a military liaison. Al has just agreed to be that person, if the  
Navy approves. He wants to see me get fried trying to travel in time. You  
could join him."

"I think I will," said Beth.

"Good."

"But you won't get fried."

Sam looked at her, smiling. "How do you know?"

"Oh, believe me, Doctor Beckett, I know."

"Well," said Sam, handing Beth a cup of coffee that he had managed to  
procure from the offending vending machine, "here's to Project Quantum Leap."

"To Project Quantum Leap," Beth said.

"And to plenty of misadventures," Al replied.

Sam smiled. If Al was a bit skeptical, Al's wife looked like a true co-  
conspirator. He knew they'd all have a lot to do with each other.

Beth, who had already had a lot to do with Sam Beckett, smiled back.

THE END OF THE BEGINNING AFTER THE END


End file.
